Dwight Takes Fire Safety Seriously. The whole open was brilliant, from "This time smoking will save lives" to "Stanley! You're black!"
Of course, with an open like that, it's hard to keep momentum up. How did Jim miss the big knife in the weapons confiscation situation from a couple of weeks ago? And why WHY did Dwight think that de-facing the dummy was somehow a good idea?
I was hoping the roast would lead to real character development for Michael, because he's so awkward and awful that, for me, he's very hard to watch. Instead all we get is him being dumb feeding slices of bread to non-existent pigeons (Caw!). I really can't stand the guy, and I'd like that to change. Every now and then we get flashes of it, like when he complimented Pam on her drawing after the business school lecture. Of course, he did it for the wrong reason, which is why it was brilliant.
Stanley's speech coming back to the office about positivity felt like it should have happened before the Is Hillary Swank Hot debate. His attitude there seemed to come out of nowhere, and I'm wondering if the episodes were shown out of sequence. Regardless, his "I'm going to die here" line was killer. Go Stanley. You're black.
The Pam's Parents Are Splitting Up subplot The only thing that saved this was Andy trying to figure out how Jim & Pam were pulling that stuff out of the movie. Aww, they're in love. That's wonderful.
I would love to know what Oscar said during the roast. All I got with my remedial Spanish was "For YOU! For YOU!" at the end.
The whole dynamic of the show would be altered significantly if Micheal weren't a static character. If the character was more likeable, it wouldn't be as funny.
The whole episode was golden. Micheal telling David Wallace to shut up had me cracking up. His reaction to the roast was great too. The fire was hilarious slapstick anarchy. And we went back to more Jim and Pam "BAWWWW" moments, but at least tempered with Andy's stupidity.
"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Frown and the world laughs at you." -Me.
It sure seems like Rainn Wilson has stolen this entire show from Steve Carell. Between the open, the extended signature quest (Where's Maeby when you need her,) the Silence of the Lambs, and the full-blown face turn, he had EVERY great moment.
I don't mean to seem like I care about material things (like a social status,) I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls
I'm apparently the only person who didn't think this was a classic. In fact, it was barely average. Dwight ALMOST KILLED Stanley and then felt no remorse about it. That crosses the line from wacky Office antic to not funny. It also ruined the otherwise legendary fire escape scene. I nearly coughed up a lung laughing at Angela's cat's trip through the ceiling tile.
The Jack Black/Cloris Leachman/Jessica Alba cameo was beyond pointless.
Skinner: Well, I was wrong. The lizards are a godsend.
Lisa: But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards?
Skinner: No problem. We simply release wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards.
Lisa: But aren't the snakes even worse?
Skinner: Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.
Lisa: But then we're stuck with gorillas!
Skinner: No, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death!
Dwight ALMOST KILLED Stanley and then felt no remorse about it.
The Schrutes get married standing in their burial plots. Dwight has shown a consistent disdain for the "weak". He didn't see what the big deal was when he (almost) killed 1 of Angela's cats.
I don't think "remorse" is in his emotional repertoire.
If Stanley's heart attack was supposed to be taken as a drama-filled serious moment, Michael wouldn't have been bringing the funny trying to wake him up nor would most of the rest of the episode have happened. It's a comedy. Lighten up.
That said, some good stuff here. I personally love the one hours, the more Office the better. The opening was just great because, yes, it's absolutely something Dwight would do. Just as Michael's awesome musical chairs game in the meeting with David Wallace is something Michael would do. And both are hilarious. :p
I do like that the writers are burning through all the possible reasons for a JAM break-up so that fear can be put aside because, these two AREN'T breaking up.
I didn't mind the cameos so much. In fact the one scene, with Jack Black pleading to Cloris as she tries to go up her electronic staircase, was pretty funny. It also led to some great Andy stuff; the scene where he was watching the movie by himself, then is in the background to the post-script to the JAM stuff and throws his hands up in frustration, was cash money.
You knew going into the roast that Michael was gonna take it a bit too seriously. By far the best way for him to come back was to do what he did, and roast the others himself. The best by far was Meredith's. BOOM ROASTED! :p
But nothing in this episode topped the CPR training scene. I will never figure out *why* Dwight cut off the dummy's face and wore it, but that was the funniest thing I've seen since....well, probably the last episode. :p I just about fell outta my chair with that one. And the meeting afterwards? "Now Dwight knows not to cut the face off a real person."
Michigan against the SEC: 20-5-1 (7-3 in bowl games)
I tend to have a short memory when picking favorite episodes of comedies, but this might be my all-time favorite of this series. Definitely at least top 5. The opening was killer and I doubt it can ever be topped. The roast was awesome for completely different reasons. And Dwight the Butcher going to town on the training dummy was classic too! So much goodness packed into 40 minutes. Michael's monologue about the space man on the star far away was epic. I felt like he was channeling Jack Handey.
I thought for sure Dwight was going to get fired. I started searching my mind furiously, seeing if I could remember hearing anything about Rainn Wilson getting a new acting gig. This episode was absolutely fantastic, but there is no way in hell Dwight doesn't get fired after the fake fire. The $3500 (or $5300 if you're Michael Scott) dummy bill might have done it also on its own.
The only thing I can think of that would keep him around is if he truly is the best salesman in the entire company like he claims to be. After all, he DID outsell Dundermifflinity by myself that one time.
The only thing I can think of that would keep him around is if he truly is the best salesman in the entire company like he claims to be. After all, he DID outsell Dundermifflinity by myself that one time.
- StingArmy
That's the only thing I can come up with. If he'd been in the warehouse, he'd have been gone long ago. Look at the situation surrounding Roy's firing. Attempting to attack a co-worker, bad, yes, but Dwight's resume includes but is not limited to:
1) Purposely starting a fire contributing to a co-worker's cardiac arrest 2) Planting false drugs in a co-worker's desk to subject that employee to a police search in hopes of getting him fired 3) Repeatedly engaging in sexual intercourse with a co-worker both on the premisis and during working hours 4) Destroying an expensive CPR dummy 5) Dropping a co-working off at an abandon warehouse after taking her purse and cell phone forcing her to walk back to the office 6) Holding a pizza delivery person hostage (with others)
It's been pretty well established that Dunder-Mifflin is kind of a sinking ship. Earlier this season, HR gave their ok for Meredith to whore herself out if it helps the company.
I don't mean to seem like I care about material things (like a social status,) I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls
Originally posted by BoromirMark But nothing in this episode topped the CPR training scene. I will never figure out *why* Dwight cut off the dummy's face and wore it, but that was the funniest thing I've seen since....well, probably the last episode. :p I just about fell outta my chair with that one. And the meeting afterwards? "Now Dwight knows not to cut the face off a real person."
The wife and I haven't laughed that hard in ages. It was just so wrong and out of nowhere! Do those dummies really cost $3,500??
"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
What was the point of Jessica Alba/Jack Black/Cloris Leachman???? I guess they could bring in viewers, but it was pointless and stupid. More Andy/Angela/Creed and less stupid pointless cameos. This episode was one of the least enjoyable episodes of the entire run. I just can't buy into the show when it ventures into the absurd. Dwight would have been fired for the fire, and definitely fired for destroying the dummy.
More reality and less Homer Simpson antics. That's what I want.
Micheal performing CPR on the dummy while singing "Staying Alive", causing Andy to sing the song in falsetto, causing Kelly to start randomly dancing at the same time. The way the camera cut back and forth between the three of them, that is the first time a sitcom got me close to having a cardiac arrest. Literally crying at that scene.
Then of course there was Angela's cat falling out of the vent and Micheal roasting everyone.
"Meredith you've slept with so many guys you're starting to look like one. BOOM! next."
I hate hate hate hate Jack Black and everything that he does. That said, even him being in the episode, didnt ruin it for me. I loved the pulse monitor thingy Stanley was wearing that went off when Michael was near.
Someone mentioned elsewhere that in the golden age, Catwoman was a regular catburgler who went by "The Cat" and didn't get the suit until later. Could be what Nolan is going for.